A team of researchers led by Daniel Iborra Pellín, from the University of Alicante, has presented new evidence about the name and worship of the Iberian Dea Mater, the chief female deity of the Iberians during the Iron Age. According to the study published in the journal Complutum, this deity, a symbol of fertility and […]
Iberian Peninsula
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
The Enigmatic Prehistoric Engraved Slate Plaques of the Iberian Peninsula are Genealogical Records and One of the Earliest Forms of Writing in Europe
In the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, between the Late Neolithic and the Copper Age, a series of ritual objects emerged that have fascinated archaeologists and historians for over a century: the engraved slate plaques. These artifacts, especially those classified as classic type, have been interpreted as genealogical records within the ancient communities of the […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
Mujahid al-Amiri, the Slavic ruler of the taifa of Denia who gathered the best Andalusian intellectuals of the 11th century
In the Christian part of the Iberian Peninsula, the 11th century saw the rise of the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon, the birth of Portugal, the dominance of the county of Barcelona over the other Catalan counties, the adventures of El Cid, and the opening of the Way of St. James. In the Muslim zone, […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
A new prehistoric culture found in a Spanish cave is the oldest evidence of Upper Paleolithic in the Iberian Peninsula
Archaeologists from the University of Valladolid have discovered in the Millán Cave, located in the northern Iberian Peninsula, in the Spanish province of Burgos, an Initial Upper Paleolithic lithic industry, which they have named “Arlanzian”, and which stands out as the oldest and southernmost of its kind in the peninsula. This industry, of uncertain origin, […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
How Björn, the son of Ragnar, attacked Seville and other places in the Iberian Peninsula in his expedition to the Mediterranean
In the popular TV series Vikings, it’s Ivar the Boneless who perhaps steals the spotlight with his peculiar personality, reminiscent of the classic – and stereotypical – image of Caligula or Nero. However, Ubbe, Hvitsärk, and Björn also have their moments. In this article, we will focus on Björn and, more specifically, the expedition he […]
Posted inIron Age Archaeology
Silver production in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula did not stop during the Phoenician crisis of the 6th century BC
The results of a study conducted by an international team of researchers on silver and lead production in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula during the first millennium BC challenge previous theories about the impact of the Phoenician commercial crisis of the 6th century BC on this important economic activity. The study, recently published in the Journal […]
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology
Researchers Question the Violent Invasion of the Iberian Peninsula During the Transition from the Copper Age to the Bronze Age
A recent study conducted by researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the University of Murcia (UM) challenges the prevailing idea that warrior groups with “steppe” ancestry from Eastern Europe violently replaced the male population in the Iberian Peninsula around 4,200 years ago. Instead, it proposes a more nuanced scenario in which these […]
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
A Violent Community Lived in Isolation for Five Centuries in Caves on the Border Between Al-Andalus and the Christian Kingdoms
Researchers from Sweden and Spain have conducted a comprehensive archaeogenetic study of a community that lived in isolation on the border between the Christian kingdoms of the north and Al-Andalus during the Early Medieval period. This dynamic era, especially in the Iberian Peninsula, was characterized by religious competition, power struggles, and significant human mobility, shaping […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Neolithic Artisans of the Iberian Peninsula Created Beads That Simulated Amber
Researchers have revealed that the prehistoric communities of the Iberian Peninsula developed advanced technology to create beads that imitated amber, a precious and scarce material in antiquity. This finding, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, highlights the skill and creativity of the Iberian artisans who managed to replicate the characteristics of amber using composite […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Despite the Harsh Ecological Conditions, Modern Humans Occupied the Center of the Iberian Peninsula During the Upper Paleolithic
An international team of researchers, including the Institute of Archaeology of Mérida (IAM), the Archaeobotany Laboratory of the Institute of Heritage Sciences (INCIPIT-CSIC), and other institutions, has revealed new data on the settlement conditions of modern humans, known as Cro-Magnons, in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula during the Upper Paleolithic. The results of this […]
